Fla. Congressman Uses KKK Imagery In Email

SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - APRIL 21: A performer in the Klu Klux Klan dance number stands on stage during the "Jerry Springer: The Opera" photocall at the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, Australia. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)File photo of a person in a Ku Klux Klan robe. (Photo by Mark Kolbe/Getty Images)

ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — Republicans say a fundraising email sent out by Democratic U.S. Rep. Alan Grayson of Florida that shows a burning cross in the words “Tea Party” is “unacceptable and deplorable.”

The email has a photo depicting a burning cross with Ku Klux Klan members in white robes in the background. The words “Tea Party” appear on the image, with the burning cross serving as the letter “T.”

The email was sent earlier this week.

Lenny Curry, the chairman of the Republican Party of Florida, demanded in a statement that state Democrats condemn Grayson for making the comparison between the KKK and the Tea Party.

Grayson said in a statement released Wednesday that Tea Party members have a record of making racist remarks.